Nicole Knight, Managing Editor
Interlocking blue, yellow, black, green and red rings, a triumphant tune releasing a competitive spirit, faces from around the world and sports at their all-time best means only one thing: the Olympic Games are back.
Ever since the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, I have been captivated by the competition, scandals, heartaches and victories of the climax of all sports. The Olympics are one of the few world events where every country can peacefully coincide. Each country seems to have a mutual respect for their competition’s talent and heart. Whenever I hear NBC’s theme for their coverage of the games, the competitor inside me just wants to break away from the starting line and kiss a gold medal in joyful tears.
And this year’s winter games in Torino, Italy are no different. Now, I am not a regular winter wonderland sports fan, but when the Olympics return every two years I can adjust to love any sport. From downhill skiing to figure skating, I love to watch the competition and determination of every athlete.
Watching an athlete at the starting line brings me back to my days of competition as a cross-country and track runner in high school and at ULV. The overwhelming nervousness, nausea, anticipation and fear of failure all mount in one moment. All the athlete can think about is the fate of what lies ahead. This moment will make or break the obstacle they have progressed to with relentless work and dedication. These thoughts are incredibly evident in the eyes of a waiting athlete. Seeing their expression makes me wish I was one of them, and at the same time glad that I am not. The fear builds character and feeds the will to succeed but can be the most frightening emotion a person can experience. Funny how these feelings do not seem to change whether you are running a high school championship race or waiting for the gun to fire in Torino.
Even the competitions some may not consider to be a real sport, I have found interesting. Every year I watch, I am amazed at what sport has been added to the Olympics already wide variety. For example, curling. Who would ever have thought that sweeping a heavy granite rock across ice could be a sport? But, seeing the teamwork and dedication curling athletes put forth makes me a believer. I think it is simply fascinating how these athletes became involved with such unique sports. Hockey and skiing I can easily understand, but how does one discover curling?
However, one aspect of the games I have found discouraging this year was the Americanization of the opening ceremonies. As athletes marched into the Italian stadium, American songs, such as familiar tunes from the Village People and Motown, rang loud and clear for every country’s entrance. The ceremony felt like every year’s before it, just with an Italian twist. Perhaps, the producers of the ceremony knew America had one of the largest audiences, so they appealed to that crowd. Nonetheless, I hated to see Italy, such a historically and culturally rich country, compromise to fit America’s needs of entertainment. And for all I know, NBC’s coverage made the ceremony seem that way, but still, it seems like an area we could easily influence.
I look forward to another week of intense competition and a good reason to turn on my television every day. Athletes work their whole lives to get this chance and every country awaits the pride in bringing home medals of success. Watching this pivotal experience in an athlete’s life is what makes the Olympics different from any other sporting event.
Nicole Knight, a junior journalism major, is managing editor of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at nknight@ulv.edu.
